Rare Book Monthly
Book Catalogue Reviews - January - 2009 Issue
Some Giants of Science and Much More from Dragon Books
A fine copy of Tender is the Night.
Item 47 takes us back to a much earlier time in Fitzgerald's life. It is the Thoughtbook of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald of St. Paul Minn. U.S.A. (Fitzgerald was named after a distant relative, Francis Scott Key, author of the Star-Spangled Banner). This book was taken from a manuscript in the possession of his daughter and published in 1965 (55 years after Fitzgerald wrote the lines). It provides an insight into the writing and thoughts of a boy who would grow to become a great novelist a decade later. This is the first and only edition, printed in just 300 copies, of Fitzgerald's Thoughtbook. $275.
Item 10 is a timely work considering the recent large losses in the stock market: How to Trade in Stocks. The Livermore Formula for Combining Time Element and Price. Jesse Livermore was a stock market whiz, winning, and losing, several fortunes along the way. His first killing came in 1907, when he saw an inflated stock market and wisely chose to short it. He reportedly earned $3 million, much of which he would later lose. However, the lessons of 1907 served him spectacularly well in 1929 when he again saw an overheated market and went short. While others were losing everything in the crash of 1929, Livermore earned a fortune, reported to be $100 million. Livermore published his book in 1940, and despite its insights, it did not sell very well. People were still spooked by the market. While Livermore was not poor, he had lost most of his earnings from 1929 by this time, and he had long suffered from depression. Livermore took his life during the year his book was published. This copy is signed by Livermore. $20,000.
Dragon Books may be reached at 310-441-8545 or info@dragonbooks.com. Their website is www.dragonbooks.com.
